Skulduggery (short story)

Skulduggery
Main character(s):	Carnell
Featuring:	Landerchild
Main setting:	Kaldor City, 2889
Key crew
Writers:	Alan Stevens, Fiona Moore
Kaldor City
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Skulduggery is a short story in the Kaldor City series. Written by Alan Stevens and Fiona Moore, it centres on a scheme by Carnell, at the behest of Landerchild, to assassinate Chairholder Uvanov.

Summary

to be added

Characters

• Landerchild
• Carnell
• Uvanov

Worldbuilding

Individuals

• According to Landerchild, Uvanov's policies have been disastrous, and his handling of recent crises shows a tendency to favour populism over common sense.
• Uvanov is not a member of the Founding Families. Landerchild believes only people from the Founding Families, such as himself, should be allowed to attain the position of Company Chairholder. There are other Founding Family members to whom Uvanov's class causes concern.
• Uvanov is paranoid and suspicious of the Founding Families. His paranoia often causes him to suspect the least likely person is culpable.
• Carnell believes hatred for the Company Chairholder is common.
• Iago recently joined Uvanov's employ.
• Diss Pitter recently retired.
• Many of the cults in Kaldor City believe Taren Capel walked away into the desert after the Storm Mine Four incident.
• The Forensics Department have many staff members with antisocial habits. The Head of Forensics is one of them.
• Kaldor City has a large number of individuals with the skills and experience in computer crime who can be employed discreetly.

Psychostrategy

• One of the advantages of psychostrategy is that it involves seeking out an individual with the motivation to effect the desired aim, and then encouraging them to undertake it in such a way that they believe that they have acted of their own free will. Meaning the results of a successful scheme cannot be traced back the originator.
• Carnell's previous scheme for Landerchild failed because he wasn't made aware of two major variables. (The Doctor and Leela's unexpected presence on Kaldor.)
• Landerchild doesn't have much faith in the effectiveness of psychostrategy. He was reluctant to hire Carnell on the previous occasion.

Notes

• The story was published in the 2008 charity anthology Shelf Life. It was accompanied with an illustration by Brian Gorman. It was reprinted in Cosmic Masque issue 3 (December 2016) and later published on the official Kaldor City website.
• Uvanov makes a brief appearance at the conclusion of the story. Although he is mentioned, this is the only story in the Kaldor City series not to feature Iago.

Continuity

• The story takes place shortly before AUDIO: Death's Head. It acts as prelude to those events shedding additional light on the motives of its various characters.
• The main body of the story involves a discussion between Carnell and Landerchild in which a plan is concocted to assassinate Uvanov using a skull covered in contact poison. This attempt will take place in AUDIO: Death's Head.
• The origins of the skull presented to Uvanov in AUDIO: Death's Head are expanded upon: the plan is articulated between Carnell and Landerchild that Cotton should and strips the flesh from the head of a dead research station operative, and used that skull as the one Uvanov is presented with, claimed to be Taren Capel's.
  • Alternatively, an analysis of the series by author Dale Smith, postulates the simplest explanation, as emphasised by the title of AUDIO: Occam's Razor, is that Cotton simply used the real skull of Taren Capel already located in the Company stores. In AUDIO: Hidden Persuaders Taren Capel's skull is shown to have been in the possession of 'The Company' all along.
• Carnell refers to the Taren Capel incident that occurred on Storm Mine Four. Landerchild is also aware of real story behind what happened. (TV: The Robots of Death)
• It is believed by various cults within Kaldor City that Taren Capel walked away free into the Blind Heart Desert. (In TV: The Robots of Death he is strangled to death by a Voc Robot.)
• Carnell postulates that should his scheme fail, Uvanov will suspect ex-Firstmaster Chairholder Diss Pitter of being behind it. Diss Pitter previously appeared in PROSE: Corpse Marker, and is assassinated by Uvanov in AUDIO: Hidden Persuaders. An action likely to have been prompted by this scheme's failure.
• This is stated to be the second time that Landerchild has employed Carnell's services. The first occasion occurred in PROSE: Corpse Marker.
• Carnell remembers the arrival of the TARDIS, an event he was unable to predict. (PROSE: Corpse Marker)
• During a party, held at the time the Firstmaster murders were taking place, Strecker implied to Landerchild that Iago and Justina were in a romantic relationship with each other. The Firstmaster murders, along with the party, take place in AUDIO: Occam's Razor.
• The assassin that Carnell and Landerchild plan to use, Hume, as featured in AUDIO: Death's Head, will be tricked into thinking he has consumed the antidote to the contact poison beforehand.
• At the conclusion of the story, Carnell informs Uvanov of the assassination attempt under the guise of it being a way to find out the nature of Iago and Justina's relationship with each other and where their loyalties lie. Carnell doesn't reveal to Uvanov that Landerchild is the one who instigated the assassination attempt. Iago and Justina's romantic relationship began in AUDIO: Occam's Razor
• There is a two-man research and ore processing station in Zone 9 on the edge of the Blind Heart Desert. It features in AUDIO: Death's Head as manned by Sheen and Rov.
• Carnell is aware Cotton is working for Landerchild. (AUDIO: Taren Capel)

External links

• 'Shelf Life' official website
• Full text of the story
• Cosmic Masque issue 3 download